COLDWATER  A jury took less than 90 minutes Tuesday to convict Trevor Hewitt of possessing two homemade weapons while he was an inmate in the Branch County Jail.

Hewitt, 27 will face up to 10 more years in prison consecutive to his current sentence when he is brought back to court for sentencing later this fall.

Corrections Officer Wesley Pope said he searched BCJ maximum security cell E-68 on Oct. 17 while its occupant  Hewitt  was in court. During the inspection Pope found a t-shirt torn into a 2-foot strip with knots on the end.

Branch County Prosecutor Ralph Kimble called the item a "strangulation device."

Also in the cell Pope discovered a towel on the top bunk which was being used by Hewitt to store items. As Pope picked the towel up four batteries fell out  two more batteries than inmates are allowed by jail rules to possess.

The officer said the towel it appeared to be a section that had been ripped from a larger towel.

"It could have been grabbed by the loose end and used as a weapon," Pope said.

Three officers had searched the same cell recently after another prisoner, Cody Savage, caused major destruction in August. There was nothing in the cell while repairs were made  until Hewitt was moved in.

He was the only person except corrections officers that had been in the cell since repairs were completed, the officers testified.

Hewitt told Pope he kept the batteries wrapped in a towel to keep them warm to "save the charge."

Kimble noted one would put batteries in cold to save the power, not warm them.

After Hewitt's counsel Bill Renner argued the torn towel could never have been used as a weapon Kimble, as part of his closing, wrapped the batteries in the cloth and slammed them hard on the defense table  breaking off a piece of the formica.

Hewitt denied knowing anything about the t-shirt knotted into a rope. Renner got Pope to admit there was no indication Hewitt intended to use the shirt or towel and batteries as a weapon.

Kimble explained to the 12-member jury the case might not seem to be important outside a jail.

"But the security of the institution is important," he said. "(The two items) could hurt other people or be used in an escape."

In April Branch County Circuit Judge Bill OGrady sentenced Hewiit, a Sturgis area resident, to the maximum 32 months to four years in prison as an habitual offender after a jury convicted him of resisting two Walmart security officers while trying to steal items from the Coldwater store in July of last year. One of the victims in that crime was choked until he nearly passed out.

Page 2 of 2 - Hewitt caused problems while in prison. He was escorted to court by two Michigan Department of Corrections guards and was transported wearing leg irons and a shock device.

Hewitt has prior convictions for two breaking and entering charges as a felon as well as a series of retail thefts from stores in the region.

Last year while in jail he told police officers and jailers he would take a gun from them and use it. As he entered the courtroom for sentencing in April he said, "I should kill them all and let God sort it out."

Hewitt also has pending charges for attempted escape after he and another inmate broke into the Branch County Jail attic. Kimble is not yet certain he will bring Hewitt back for trial on that charge after this last conviction.